"Smartphones a threat to US military might"

Brave new world: 'Smartphones a threat to US military might'

YOU know you’re living in a brave new world when the Pentagon is more concerned about the smartphone in your pocket than biological weapons.

The Pentagon’s research department known as DARPA said that portable computing devices like the iPhone, iPads and Android phones pose a real and present danger to the US military.

“Computing, imaging and communications capabilities that, as recently as 15 years ago, were the exclusive domain of military systems, are now in the hands of hundred of millions of people around the world,” DARPA Deputy Director, Kaigham J. Gabriel told the House Armed Services Committee.

Mr Gabriel said that almost a dozen countries are producing electronic warfare systems

using off-the-shelf technology.

Decades ago it would take up to 10 years to develop new warfare systems, Mr Gabriel said. Today new threats are created every 1.5 years.

DARPA are trying to counter these new cyber capabilities by employing members of the hacker community.

They are also developing new kinds of radar and radio technology that will be unavailable to the general public.

"Modern warfare demands the effective use of cyber and kinetic means. That requires DoD cyber capabilities matched to our kinetic options”